Medal of Honor Act
This legislation significantly increases the special monthly pension paid to living Medal of Honor recipients, linking their benefits to higher-tier military disability compensation rates rather than a lower fixed baseline. It also specifies that recipients cannot receive a duplicate cost-of-living adjustment in any year their payment is already increased. To help offset the cost of the larger pensions, the bill extends through January 2033 an existing rule that caps monthly VA pensions at $90 for certain unmarried veterans without dependents who live in Medicaid-funded nursing homes.
What this bill touches.
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Living Medal of Honor recipientsReceives an increased monthly special pension tied to a higher benchmark rate of disability compensation rather than a fixed rate of $1,406.73 (Sec. 3(1)).
Who it burdens
- Veterans and surviving family members receiving Medicaid-covered nursing home careSubject to an extended $90 monthly cap on their VA pension payments through January 31, 2033, prolonging an existing limitation beyond its prior November 30, 2031 expiration date (Sec. 4).
- Department of Veterans AffairsMust update and administer the higher special pension rate for Medal of Honor recipients, enforce the restriction on duplicate cost-of-living increases, and continue enforcing the $90 pension cap through early 2033 (Sec. 3, Sec. 4).
The provisions, in plain language.
Increases the monthly special pension paid to living Medal of Honor recipients by tying the payment to a higher benchmark rate of veteran disability compensation rather than a fixed dollar amount.
Prohibits an annual cost-of-living increase to the Medal of Honor special pension in any year the monthly amount was already increased by another change.
Extends through January 31, 2033, the $90 monthly cap on Department of Veterans Affairs pension payments to certain veterans and surviving family members receiving Medicaid-covered nursing home care.